Wednesday, March 28, 2012

J/70 Speedster Performance Update
(Newport, RI)- After another week of sailing the new "baby J", it's pretty clear the performance is exceeding all expectations. A fun boat, indeed, the J/70 Speedster is. Teams from North Sails and Quantum Sails have had a chance to sail them in a wide range of wind conditions, from 3-5 kts up to 25-28 knots. J/70 handles the wide-range of conditions with ease, far greater ease than many had imagined. Team Quantum has reported sustained bursts up to 15.8 knots on their GPS trackers in just 17-18 kts of wind, read more about that experience here- Norm Davant's "Early Adopter" report on SA.

A recent demo is indicative of the J/70s performance envelope around the track. Starting in just 4-6 kt breezes building to no more than 8-13 kt winds-- the J/70 averaged 6.7 knots over an 8.96 nm track that took 1 hr 19 min 46 secs. Top speed was 10.8 kts downwind while average speed upwind ranged from 5.8 to 6.5 kts-- pretty quick for a 23 footer! In short, we sailed 4.5 nm upwind, turned around, set the chute and sailed 4.5 nm downwind. The track can be seen here on Phillipe Kahn's MotionX-GPS software (Phillipe's a fellow J/100 owner in Santa Cruz, CA)- http://bit.ly/H06lmO. For more J/70 Speedster sailing informationSPI OUEST France Preview
(La Trinite sur Mer, France)- Perhaps one of the most significant rights of spring every year in the sailing world in Europe has to be the famous SPI OUEST France sailing regatta held in the quaint, lovely little seaside town called La Trinite sur Mer on Quiberon Bay. The ambiance is renown, the restaurants delicious, the wine even better, and the international gathering of sailors from all points of the compass make for a highly entertaining venue. The beautiful harbor often has some of the elite monster multihulls parked stern-to on the main quay (the 130 footer Banque Populaire or 100 footer Groupama, for example) and, due to their enormous popularity the 100+ J/80s are parked on the other side, a commanding presence at the heart of Grand Prix French sailing.

This year another good turnout was anticipated. A total 438 boats of which 141 (32% of the fleet) are J sailing teams are coming in from across Europe and the UK. Nine J/111s will be participating in their European One-Design debut, 116 J/80s are racing for class honors and sixteen J/Teams are sailing in the four IRC handicap classes.

Starting with the J/111 class, nine boats are represented from across continental Europe and the UK. So many of these teams have never sailed against one another it's impossible to make any predictions as so many are well-sailed. Most certainly all the teams will have steep learning curves as they learn to extract maximum performance from their J/111s race-to-race. There are three French teams, LE JOUET (Stephane Blanchards- must see his website- http://www.lejouet.eu), J-LANCE 7 (Didier Le Moal) and ALPHALINK EXTREME YACHTING (G. Thomas). Two teams are from the United Kingdom, including J-DREAM (the champion J/109 team of David and Kirsty Apthorp) and OJE (A Hill). From Benelux are two entries, XCENTRIC RIPPER (John Van der Starre and Robin Verhoef from the Netherlands that sailed the Fastnet Race Doublehanded) and DJINN ( Jean-Patrick Smal) from Belgium. Long distance awards will surely be contested between JUSTICE (B. Flavio) from Italy and BLUR (Peter Gustafsson's J/109 champion team from Sweden). For a preview of what it's like to sail the J/111, see the BLUR/Peter montage video-- totally cool!!

The dominant one-design class in SPI Ouest France are the 116 J/80s-- easily the most consistent and largest one-design class the SPI OUEST Regatta has ever experienced over the course of three decades of hosting this famous regatta. Like their J/111 big brothers, it's going to be pretty hard to determine who's going to the dominant teams, but certainly there are a few standout J/80 sailing teams that are worth mentioning that will factor into the leader board. From France, you have renown class leaders like GANJA (Luc Nadal), ATLANTIS (Louis Sambron), INTERFACE CONCEPT 1 & 2 (Eric Brezellec and JC Moriceau, respectively) and TBS (Pierre Follenfant-- perhaps the "sleeper" in their group of world-class sailors, Pierre is a former 470 and Flying Dutchman champion). From Italy you have their class leader
JENIALE! sailed by Massimo Rama. The Spanish contingent have nearly a dozen boats sailing with one of their top boats in attendance, GOLD SAILING skippered Ignacio Jauregui. The host of the 2012 J/80 Worlds are the United Kingdom and their contingent is pretty strong, including ULTIMATE SAILS (Kevin Sproul, a multi-class champion), RAF BENEVOLENT FUND (Terry Hanlon of the British RAF Sailing Team) and BALTIC WHARF LTD (Henry Bomby, a top youth sailor in the UK).

The IRC Handicap rule grouping has significant competition across all four classes- IRC 1 to IRC 4. In the 32 boat IRC 1 Class, the big J's are sailing with the J/133 JIVARO leading the charge sailed by Yves Grosjean, followed by a very tough group of J/122s, including NUTMEG IV (F. Lognone), JOLLY JOKER (R. Marchais) and MADE IN LOVE (J. Patier). Given a good series, any one of these boats has proven over the course of time at various events around France, Italy, the UK that they can win.

In the 32 boat IRC 2 class, the top J is the J/120 RHAPSODIE V (J Godet), with two J/109s taking chase in the form of POULICO 10 (CV Arcachon) and FRANJPANE (P. Mouret), followed by the J/105 J-SQUARED (V. Jomier).

Then, in the largest IRC fleet, IRC 4 class has 64 boats battling amongst the a wide range of boats, from the J/24 up to the super-fast J/97. If things go well, the J/97 may prove again that it's the master of its domain, this time the J/97 MISPICKEL V sailed by B. Fagart will be up against some formidable competition. Thrown into the fray doing battle against all the "modern" boats is the "classic" J/24 with four of them competing against the big boys, including J'ADORE (E. Richard), JINETTE (C. Gury), MARTA (P. Lemaistre) and INSULARIS (A. Garcia). For more Spi Ouest France sailing informationBVI Spring Regatta Preview
(Tortola, British Virgin Islands)- The BVI Regatta & Sailing Festival is famed for gorgeous sailing conditions, hot racing and a friendly atmosphere which attracts a large number of competitors with impressive sailing backgrounds. Nanny Cay Marina, home of the regatta is a heavenly setting; a stunning sheltered bay surrounded by awe-inspiring terrain. Sage Mountain National Park encompasses the highest point overlooking the Regatta Village. The dramatic mountain ridge runs along the spine of Tortola, rising to 1,716 feet at its highest point and locals have a nickname for the steep road running up to this sensational vantage point - ‘The Elevator’ is not for the faint hearted but the vista offered from the top of Tortola is absolutely breathtaking.

The British Virgin Islands are renowned for crystal blue waters and heavenly weather and the stunning archipelago of islands offers one of the most picturesque settings anywhere in the Caribbean. The stunning race area for the BVI Spring Regatta & Sailing Festival encompasses 22 awe-inspiring islands. The most eastern extreme of the race area is Richard Branson's fabulous Necker Island and the most westward being Jost van Dyke. Six days of hot racing start on Tuesday 27th March with the Bitter End Cup Race from Nanny Cay to Virgin Gorda and back.

Nanny Cay Marina will be buzzing with excitement; Wednesday and Thursday 28-29 March, Nanny Cay plays host to the GILL BVI International Match Racing Championships. Two days of exciting duels between IC-24's on tight windward leeward courses. Eight international teams will battle it out in an ISAF sanctioned Grade 3 match racing event.

"The BVI" certainly has strong appeal to J sailors around the globe. Like former J/44 owner Bill Alcott sailing his latest EQUATION who's come back to the islands repeatedly for dozens of years, other big fans of the BVI are included in this roster of J/Teams below. In Class 2 Racing we'll see the return of the J/125 AUNT JESSIE sailed by Jordan Mindich, they love the courses and like their stablemates, when the J/125 "lights up" on the offwind legs in long planes down enormous swells in the 15-25 kt trade winds, AUNT JESSIE is a sight to behold.

The Class 3 Racing group has two J/105s that are incredibly well-sailed, one just having won the prestigious Rolex Cup Regatta in St Thomas. Leading the 105s will undoubtedly be DARK STAR skippered by Jonathan Lipuscek, the latest addition to the Rolex Submariner "win-de-watch-mon" club holders. Don't discount the ABRACADABRA SAILING TEAM lead by Carlos Camacho. Of course, no one can deny the fact that another Rolex Submariner winning veteran will be Rick Wesslund's crackerjack team on the J/120 EL OCASO (Rick, does each crew member have a Rolex by now??).

Over in Class 5 Racing, the range of talent and unpredictability makes it tough to call a winner anywhere. However, several veteran BVI racing teams are competing from Puerto Rico, including the fast J/27 MAG 7 sailed by Paul Davis, the two J/80s (SUNBUM 2 sailed by Angel Ayala and OTRAKOSA skippered by Kike Gonzalez) and the J/33 BOOMERANG sailed by Patrick Nolan.

The Class 7 Non-Spinnaker class of big fast cruising sailboats will have to contend with two "classics" in the J/Cruising family, the J/160 AVATAR sailed by Alan Fougere and the J/46 JENT sailed by Henry van Melle.

Finally, if any one of the classes above think they have some good competition, the Class 8 Non-spinnaker of smaller cruisers has all kinds of cowboys shooting for the top of the podium. Always a factor will be the J/36 CAYENNITA GRANDE sailed by Steve Joines and Antonio Sanpere from Christiansted, St. Croix and keeping them honest will be the J/95 SHAMROCK VII sailed by Tom Mullen from New Hampshire. For more BVI Spring Regatta sailing informationRolex China Sea Race Preview
(Hong Kong, China)- The 2012 Rolex China Sea Race sees the China Sea Race celebrate its 50th Anniversary, starting 4 April in Victoria Harbour, Hong Kong. This 565nm Category 1 Offshore Race is run under the auspices of RORC, and takes competitors from Hong Hong, China to Subic Bay in the Philippines. The race has a rich and storied past.

On 7th April 1962, three yachts from RHKYC, one from Manila and one from Japan crossed the line at the start of the first China Sea Race. The yachts were escorted over the first 100 miles of their 600 mile journey by two minesweepers of the Hong Kong Royal Naval Reserve.

The finish was off Corregidor Island, crossing a line formed by vessels of the Philippines Navy, to be met by members of the Manila Yacht Club who had co-operated most generously with the Royal Hong Kong Yacht Club in all the arrangements. The China Sea Race was subsequently held as a biennial event. In 1964 it attracted 12 entries and in 1966, 13, including the famous ketch Stormvogel. With each successive race, the event grew bigger. In 1968, it was included for the first time in the newly organised World Ocean Racing Championships and in 1972 it was officially recognized by the Royal Ocean Racing Club. Since then it has continued to attract interest and, as an undisputed Asian blue-water classic, has served to draw the attention of the international yachting fraternity to Hong Kong and Southeast Asia.

This year will see a two J/Teams from the Royal Hong Kong YC participating. The J/109 WHISKEY JACK sailed by Nick Southward from RHKYC will be competing in IRC Racing 2 Class against an A35 and Sydney 36. And, the J/145c REDEYE skippered by Wayne Thompson in IRC Cruising Class of eight yachts will be sailing against a raft of Beneteau's and Jeanneau's. For more Rolex China Sea Race sailing information.Newport-Bermuda Race Entries Growing
(Newport, Rhode Island)- With the entry deadline nearing on April 15th, it's not too late to get in you entry for this year's Cruising Club of America's Newport-Bermuda Race. As of Sunday March 25th, 172 boats have been entered. According to information supplied on the applications, there are 48 boats that are new to the race. This does not mean that there will be 48 new skippers because some these are experienced owners with new boats.

Colin McGranahan of Larchmont NY has already entered his J/130 DRAGONFLY. McGranahan is a new skipper in the race, but the boat is a veteran. The J/130 CHRISTOPHER DRAGON that sailed the centennial 2006 Newport Bermuda Race will sail in 2012 as DRAGONFLY with first-time skipper Colin McGranahan of Larchmont NY.

Jimmy Sykes sailed his first of eight Bermuda Races to date on that same J/130 then named BOMBARDINO. She has passed through another owner and is now DRAGONFLY. Andrew Weiss raced her to Bermuda as CHRISTOPHER DRAGON. Sykes is competing this year with his current Bombardino, an SC 52. Plus, they will be up against another small fleet of J/120s (like the boat pictured above).

"With three weeks to go" said Brin Ford, of the Bermuda Race Organizing Committee, "things are slowing down a bit. We are about 20 boats behind the 2010 pace." The 2010 race had 183 boats, the third largest fleet in the 106-year-old event. The classic 635-mile race offers racing in five divisions - The St. David's Lighthouse (amateur) Division, The Cruiser (amateur) Division, the Double Handed Division, the Gibbs Hill (professional) Division and the Open (professional) division. There is great competition for all levels of commitment and experience. For more CCA Newport-Bermuda Race sailing informationJ/Sailing News

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

As we roll into the later stages of spring in the North and the gang Down Under start to wind-up their sailing seasons in early fall, action is getting hotter by the minute. Down South, season series are coming to a close with a few nail-biting finishes. Up North, the seasons are just getting under way and already the competition in J/22s, J/80s, J/120s and other offshore events are testing the crews. For starters, J/92s seem to be doing OK, having just proven again they're tough to beat in three series, simultaneously, around the world! In the UK, J/92s' continue to be competitive in their classes, several leading the new J/Sprit class at the Warsash Spring Series. In the Middle East, the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club has a J/92 team that keeps them honest both around the cans and offshore. Then, Down Under in Sydney, Australia, yet another J/92 crew are blasting along like the famous American "Energizer Bunny" battery ad-- just can't keep them down, they keep bouncing back for more and looting the silverware along the way. In Europe, the Warsash Series continues challenging the sailors in more ways than anyone can imagine, the J/80s are having a helluva tight series, so are the J/109s. The J/Sprit class as mentioned is proving popular and incredibly competitive. In the IRC classes, the J/122s, J/133s, J/111s, J/97s and J/105s are slowly building their momentum like a runaway locomotive making its way out of the railway station. The J/80s in Spain, as usual, are dialing up the heat with some very competitive regional sailing. The Canary Islanders recently held their championship in the form of the Princess Yaiza Cup and the Santanderians held their Compesca Cup off that beautiful sandpit that forms their harbor-- all have their eyes on the big one, the J/80 Worlds coming up in June in Dartmouth, England. J/22s in the Netherlands are also in training for a "local" J/22 Worlds, this one in Le Crouesty, France in July. In the "cradle of civilization" known as the Middle East, it's clear the Sheiks love their sailing, from the classic, traditional dhows to the modern boats like J/92s, J/105s and J/22s that are sailing in regional events representing the Dubai Offshore Sailing Club. Finally, in the Americas we see the conclusion of the eponymous Rolex Cup Regatta off the eastern end of St Thomas, US Virgin Islands with some hot competitors sailing J/105s, J/122, J/95, J/80, J/27, J/36 and a J/46. A similar mix of J's were also sailing an increasingly popular spring offshore event on the Pacific Coast, with the Dana Point YC and others hosting the Border Run Race that has some unique features that permits everything from dinghies to J/24s to Maxi's race offshore from 15 to 90nm courses-- cool stuff. Sure enough, a J/111 loved it! As did the J/120s and two J/124s.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.J/105 & J/36 Win Rolex Cup
(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- The famous Rolex Cup Regatta started out with of uncharacteristic grey, overcast skies with light showers. However, over the course of the weekend, the winds improved, the weather improved and the event finished on a high note with simply spectacular sailing.

The International Rolex Regatta is a cornerstone of the spring Caribbean racing schedule, and as such attracts top programs from around the world for its mix of buoy and point-to-point races. It also distinguishes itself by having multiple races a day for all classes. “It’s all part of a unique mix of island-style fun and hard-core IRC, CSA and one design racing,” said Regatta Co-chair Bill Canfield, pointing out a massive, specially-constructed stage rising out of the water on the St. Thomas Yacht Club’s own beach. It is where a band played on Friday and Saturday nights and where the Rolex Awards wrap up the event on Sunday, when winners in select classes win coveted Rolex watches.

DAY 1- The three-day International Rolex Regatta kicked off Friday with the “town races” that took sailors from the east end of St. Thomas, where host St. Thomas Yacht Club is located, to Charlotte Amalie, the island’s capital city. Once there, the fleet of 68 boats, split into six classes, turned around and headed back, but only after sharing some colorful action with tourists on the downtown waterfront and on two cruise ships in port as well as fans perched at different vantage points along the route. Gray clouds mingled with white all day, giving tacticians as much cause to look upward to anticipate wind shifts as they did downward to read the play of the sapphire blue Caribbean Sea beneath them. The top two J's in CSA 2 Racing were the J/122 LAZY DOG sailed by Sergio Sagramoso's team from San Juan, Puerto Rico, getting a 2nd for the day based on their 3-2 score. Third was the J/105 DARK STAR sailed by Jonathan Lipuscek also from San Juan with a 1-6.

Another young team of West Indian high school and sailing students was competing in CSA non-spinnaker class and currently sat in second overall. They were led by Central High School (St. Croix) teacher Stan Joines aboard Tony Sanpere’s (St. Croix) J/36 Cayennita Grande, which has won this class several times.

DAY 2- The second day of racing showcased the coastal beauty of St. Thomas and St. John islands with IRC and CSA distance courses that meandered through the smaller islands and cays that lie between them. Winds of 12-18 knots cooperated to give those classes (four in all) two races, while the one-design IC 24s pounded out six buoy races on the more sheltered yet still tactically demanding playing field of Great Bay, just around the corner from the event’s host, St. Thomas Yacht Club.

Yesterday’s leader in CSA 2 fell to second today while Jonathan Lipuscek (also San Juan) climbed to the top of the scoreboard (from third yesterday) with two bullets on the J/105 DARK STAR. Sergio Sagramoso’s J/122 LAZY DOG fell off the pace a bit and is one point behind in third.

In CSA non-spinnaker class, the J/36 CAYENITTA GRANDE, which was in second yesterday, found itself at the top of the scoreboard today. It was by no accident, however, said Tony Sanpere (St. Croix, USVI), even though he is helping the boat’s next owner Stan Joines (also St. Croix) get used to the boat and training Joines’ crew of West Indian high school students in the fine art of sailing the “Cayennita way.” “I yelled at them a little, but I yell at myself, too,” said Sanpere said with a chuckle. “Repetition over two long races today helped in their boat handling; I promised them a podium position, and we can do that.” Also making a move up the ladder was Tom Mullen's beautiful J/95 SHAMROCK VII from Campton, New Hampshire. Their 4-3-2-3 scoreline leapt them into 3rd overall.

DAY 3- It came down to the wire on the last day for winners in three of six classes. Sunday's tactically demanding Pillsbury Sound races, with courses that wound through the cays of St. Thomas and St. John, decided winners in one IRC and three CSA classes, while one-design IC 24s completed six short-course races in Jersey Bay to determine that class’s victor. The races were sailed in picture-perfect conditions, which included plenty of sunshine and 15-knot breezes, which made the overcast skies and intermittent rain showers that prevailed over the last two days but a distant memory.

Winning by a mere half point in CSA 2 was Jonathan Lipuscek’s (San Juan, PR) J/105 DARKS STAR. Lipuscek had gone into Sunday's races with a half-point advantage on the merit of two bullets posted yesterday, and he posted a 2-3 today to prevail as the winner, also winning the a Rolex watch for his performance. Making it a triumvirate of Puerto Rican teams on the podium was Sergio Sagramoso’s (San Juan) J/122 LAZY DOG, in third.

“We simply tried to minimize errors and do everything with patience,” said Lipuscek at the Rolex Awards party, which was held on the St. Thomas Yacht Club’s beach and featured a giant stage built out over the water. (It had been used on Saturday, as well, for the regatta’s headlining Reggae Concert.) “It’s incredible that we’ve won the watch; I didn’t believe it until now.”

In CSA non-spinnaker class, the J/36 CAYENITTA GRANDE won with its crew of Central High School students led by their band teacher Stan Joines (St. Croix), who recently bought the boat from Tony Sanpere (also St. Croix), a past winner who was also aboard. “We did better with each race,” said Joines, who has had five second-place finishes here with “his kids” before. “Tony and I drove. It’s one thing to just give them a boat, have them sail and loose and another to coach them and help them be on a winning boat.” Rounding out the podium was Tom Mullen's J/95 SHAMROCK VII with a well-deserved third overall. T2P.TV- Rolex Sailing videos-Day 1 Day 2Music VideoLeighton O'Connor- Rolex Sailing Videos- Day 1Day 2J/111 JATO Wins "Border Run"J/120 J-ALMIGHTY & J/124 MARISOL Dominate Too
(Newport Beach, CA)- With 223 boats entered in this years 2012 Border Run, it seems the Southern California yachting scene may have a new favorite sailing event. "The Border Run", that begins in Newport and heads to Dana Point (the Sprint course), or to San Diego (the Short course) or San Diego via the Coronado del Norte Island (the 90 mile Long Course), has provided SoCal sailors with a viable race that satisfies appetites for long-distance racing. The race attracted a lot of SoCal J/Sailors, too.

In their inaugural race, the J/111 JATO sailed by Bill Webster and Mike Moorhead won their class by a significant margin in the Long Course PHRF Light A class. They were up against some hot Farr 40s, a Turbo OD35 and a Ross 40, not an easy task to beat this group of boats.

The J/120 Class showed up with a strong group of ten boats. Leading the way home was Mike Hatch's J-ALMIGHTY in first, followed by Tom & Terri Manok's POLE DANCER in second and Chuck Nichols' CC RIDER in third.

In Long PHRF C, the J/30 EGGEMOGGIN sailed by Thomas Lehtonen sailed to a respectable second overall just 8 minutes off the pace after 19 hours of sailing the 90 nm!

In Short PHRF C Light class, the J/Teams simply smoked their class, led by Seth Hall's J/124 MARISOL. Three hours behind them was Joe Simpkin's J/124 FORGIVENESS followed by yet another well-sailed J/109 ELEKTRA sailed by Tom Brott. Win-Place-Show, these guys dominated.

In Short PHRF D Light class, three J/105s were sailing but it was Bill Moore's KESTREL that simply out-sailed the rest to take top honors in their class by nearly two hours on corrected time.

In Short PHRF B, the J/35 MACS! sailed by Eric and Steve McClure finished fourth, narrowly missing third by just 6 minutes. Just behind them was the J/33 PRMIA sailed by Mark Weinberger just 14 minutes back in fourth place.

After the exciting start, the wind challenged sailors as the south wind stayed on the bow making the race an upwind battle for all three courses until the wind died to a whisper once the sun went down. On the Short and Long Course to San Diego only half the fleet finished with the other half enjoying the full moon and flat seas as they motored to the party at Silver Gate Yacht Club, this years venue for the San Diego trophy party.

The annual race is in its fourth year and has grown to over 200 boats since it’s inception in 2009. What started as a response to one of the founders being excluded from the Newport to Ensenada has become an event whose tag line is “where everyone’s invited”.

“It’s funny how things work out,” said co-founder Randy Reynolds. “It gave us the opportunity to put together an event with new elements and components we thought the racing community would want. We’re delighted with the progress of the event.” Reynolds believes one of the key reasons why the event has become so popular in such a relatively short time is the fluidity in which they approach each year’s contest. While some yacht races are steeped in rigid traditions and formulas, the Border Run continues to experiment with ideas that they believe respond to the changing nature of the sport itself.

This year they employed a single start concept. Most races begin a rolling class-by-class start, but in an effort to make this particular start more fun and exciting, organizers had the entire fleet begin at the same time.

“We’re looking to find ways that make the event special,” said co-founder Bob Long. “We’ve offered multiple course options, a European style start, a special course to challenge dinghy sailors and we’re always looking for unique elements for the parties.”

Reynolds and Long are also visibly proud when they speak of the charity aspect of the event. Last year the Border Run raised money for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society and this year competitors raised over $19,000 for both LLS and local charity City2 Sea that provides free education in the ocean sciences and an introduction to sailing to at-risk children.

“I have to say, being a part of something that not only allows for a great time for those involved, but also raises awareness and money for these charities is really a great feeling,” Long said.

The 2012 Border Run is sponsored by Ullman Sails and outfitted by Pirates Lair. The Border Run team, consists of XS Racing of Huntington Beach, South Shore Yacht Club of Newport Beach (the Organizing Authority) and Dana Point Yacht Club of Dana Point. Sailing photo credits- Peter Howson For more Border Run sailing informationRoller Coaster Sailing for Warsash Leaders
(Hamble, So'ton, England)- The J/109s saw a dramatic flip-flop, roller-coaster ride going on in their standings after the previous weekend. Now leading are Mike & Sarah Wallis on JAHMALI with a 2-2. Second is David Mcleman's OFFBEAT with a 4-1, third is Paul Griffiths on the J/109 JAGERBOMB with a 1-5, fourth Owain Franks & Jean Lockett on JYNNAN TONNYX with a 5-6 and fifth is David & Mary McGough's JUST SO with a 12-3. Tumbling down the standings was Roger Phillips on DESIGNSTAR 2 with a 3-14 for sixth at this time.

The J/Sprit class is proving to be quite competitive. Nevertheless, while the J/92 J'RONIMO (John Taylor and David Greenhalgh) now has two firsts to count for a good lead, the next four positions are all in a horse race. Andy Howe's J/92s BLACKJACK is in 2nd with a 3-3, Nick & Adam Munday's J/92 INDULJENCE is in third with a 5-2 and John Cooper and Ian Townend’s J/92 JAMMIN is in 4th with a 2-6.

Like their counterparts in the J/109 class, the J/80s saw a significant jumble in their standings with four counting for the series by now. Leading the J/80s is Ian Atkins sailing BOATS.COM with a 2-7-2-1. Second now is Rob Lark's J2X with a 6-3-1-3 scoreline. Early leader SLIGHTLY STEAMY sailed by Nick and Annie Haigh now lie third with a 1-5-8-7 tally, leading by virtue of a tie-breaker over Jon Powell's BETTY with a 5-6-4-6. Fifth is Stewart Hawthorn's J'AI DEUX AMOURS.

After two weekends of racing, the Black Group IRC 1 Class only have two races due to the unusual conditions. Currently, Ivan Trotman's J/122 JOLOU is surviving with a 5-7 to remain in contention in 4th overall. Just behind are David & Kirsty Apthorp's J/111 J-DREAM with an 8-5 in 4th place. And, fifth is Ken Lowes' J/122 GHOST in 5th overall with an 8-8. Tough class! For more Warsash Spring Series sailing results.Tabares Wins Hotel Princess Yaiza Cup
(Lanzarote, Canary Islands)- The Fifth Princess Yaiza Cup, emblematic in many respects of the Canary Islands J/80 Champion, was hosted this past weekend by the Real Club Náutico Arrecife Nautica on the spectacular and windy waters off the islands. Presiding over the festivities and the regatta was none other than Princesa Alexia herself, saying to the teams at the start of the regatta, "I wish everyone lots of luck, enjoy fair winds and show a lot of sportsmanship!"

The first day of racing saw the fleet experiencing up to 19 knots of breeze and the offshore trade winds built up strength over the course of the day. It was pretty clear from the outset, the fleet of twelve boats was going to have to figure out how to overcome the dominance of former J/80 World Champion, Rayco Tabares sailing the famous Canary Hotel Princesa Yaiza. They didn't. As Rayco's team led from the outset.

By the second day average winds were 25-28 knots gusting to 30 knots plus-- just your average Canary Islands sailing day, as Ken Read of PUMA Volvo 70 fame acknowledged after months of practice there prior to the start of the Volvo Ocean Race (quote- "I thought the roof of my condo was blowing away each night!"). Nevertheless, after contemplating for awhile the decision to go sailing, even the hardiest souls admitted it might be a bit much for most of the fleet, so the RC/PRO wisely cancelled sailing for the day.

As a result, the winner of the regatta was Rayco Tabares, the 2009 J/80 World Champion in Santander, Spain. Second just one point back was Rafael Lasso. Third on the podium was a family affair- Carlos Morales sailing with his three brothers, Alejandro, Gonzalo and Miguel!

On March 23, 2012 the President of the Real Club Nautico de Arrecife Jose Alvarez Juan Padron with SAR Princess Alexia of Greece and Denmark presided over the awards ceremony in which different crews winners received recognition in the presence of different authorities, representatives of the different ports of Lanzarote, other competitors and attendees.

Rayco Tabares said, "I am very happy to have won my third Cup in honor of Princess Alexia with my team, this year we missed a lot of people, but otherwise all participants showed a very high level of competition with excellent crew. We are preparing for the World Championship to be held in England in June and this kind of racing can help us confront these challenges. The northeast wind (typical of Arrecife) of the race was suitable for testing and competition, we were all very evenly matched and that is reflected in that nothing separates us from one point between each of the first four boats. I am more than satisfied with my team after the bad start (ED NOTE- they "shrimped" their spinnaker).

Carlos Morales on the third place IKOS Crew said, "The most important is that the first four teams were just a point apart each, it shows that there was a very similar level. We had a very good race, so I'm very happy and is a good result. This race is special because it is named after my wife and it is great to participate. In this edition I have the luck to have had a crew of my three brothers Michael, Alexander and Gonzalo. Is the first time we sailed the four together and the experience is more than positive because we enjoyed together, so hopefully we can repeat soon." For more Spanish J/80 sailing informationPiris Wins J/80 Compesca Trophy
(Santander, Spain)- Thirty one boats competed in one of the first major trophies of the famous J/80 Santander fleet sailing season-- the Trofeo Compesca. The Cantabrian fleet takes no prisoners, amongst them are multiple J/80 World Champions, Olympic and European Champions. In the end, Tono Piris too his crew on YATES Y COSAS to a one point victory over current 2011 J/80 World Champion (Copenhagen, Denmark) Ignacio Camino's famous NEXTEL ENGINEERING. Third was yet another 2010 J/80 World Champion (Newport, RI), Jose Maria "Pichu" Torcida's ECC VIVIENDAS. The fleet enjoyed good weather, sunny days, and plenty of wind over the course of three weekends of sailing. For more Spanish J/80 sailing informationJ/92 PRIVATEER Dubai Offshore Sailing Report
(Dubai, United Arab Emirates)- There is now an amazing amount of sailing taking place in the waters off the shores of the United Arab Emirates these days. With the traditional dhows now getting turbo-charged and professionally sailed, it's no wonder that "feeder" programs in sailing continue to grow using a fleet of Dubai Offshore Sailing Club's J/22s. Sailing has grown dramatically in awareness, including the sponsorship by the local "sailing chief", Sheik Muhammad Al-Mahktoum, of the Volvo 70 ABU DHABI Ocean Racing in the 2011-2012 Volvo Ocean Race. The following is a quick summary from Matt Britton, owner and skipper of the J/92 #2 PRIVATEER that sails out of Dubai Offshore Sailing Club:

"Continuing on with the J/92 results our season is not over yet but we have now secured the Dubai Offshore series for the 3rd year in a row. This year was a tough with some races in the series of 4 really well subscribe the format is 4 races of various length up to 130nm over the whole season with one discard. We had to miss one race due to work commitments but managed to bullet the other 3, racing against among other a Pacific 50, Landmark 43, Farr 11s, Beneteau 44.7, several Beneteau 36.7s and a Grand Soleil 37.

The best result by far was the 3rd race which was from Dubai to Abu Dhabi into the spectacular Emirates Palace Marine where on the following day we were able to go out and watch the inshore races of the Volvo Ocean Race!

More J/92 reports- this from Down Under in Australia
"SELKIE, a J/92 sailed out of The Royal Prince Edward Yacht Club Sydney has won the 20 race, Division 2, Mt Gay Rum Monday Twilight series conducted by The Cruising Yacht Club of Australia (CYCA )! SELKIE, owned by Evan Lewis, Chris Antico & Anthony Booth led the series from race 1 and fought off an increasingly difficult handicap & yachts up to 14 feet longer to claim victory. The win by 1.5 points over 2nd place SUPERFINE, a Cavalier 350s, was sealed in the final race. The J/92 has the option to set either a asymmetrical or standard spinnaker and is raced several times a week on Sydney Harbour and occasionally competes in offshore regattas. The team is eyeing the J 111 after progressing from a J/24 three years ago!"J/22 Netherlands Winter Series Warming Up
(Braassermermeer, Netherlands)- Up to 18 boats were sailing the J/22 Winter Series and the past weekend's Warming Up Series in the Netherlands. Participation and anticipation have been high amongst fleet members as some will be sailing in this year's J/22 Worlds that will be sailed in La Crouesty, France alter this year (just a few hours drive south).

While a number of early winter series race were canceled due to frost and too much wind, the last day was perfect, 15 kts, sunny and relatively warm. The first day, the fleet managed to get in four races. It was hard fought. First place and well ahead of the field was Team Henri Lloyd. Behind it was an exciting fight to place 2, 3 and 4.

On the second day of sailing, again a persistent wind permitted four more races to be run. The J/22 field started sharp, resulting in an X-flag for subsequent starts! In the end, the two top boats, GER1513 and NED 1591 match-raced to determine who would be the winner with NED 1591 winning the battle within the fleet. It was a great finale to the Winter Series 2011/2012. Now on to a good racing season, with the highlight of course the World Cup in France. For more Netherlands J/22 Sailing informationJ/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* J/24 Australia Nationals Sailing Video- Joe Pearson from MAKE MY JAY was filming and taking photos while sailing valiantly in the J/24 2012 Nationals in Adelaide. He published this compilation on YouTube and I took the liberty of putting it on our J/24 site for everyone to see-- http://www.youtube.com/embed/uiHaBanPGpA?rel=0

* Sailing Industry Association- The 2012 Sailing Industry Conference will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, June 26-27, 2012, at the Newport Harbor Hotel in Newport, R.I. The theme for this year's conference is "From Survive - to Thrive," and the event's content is designed to help businesses adapt and profit in the new economy. The event will feature one and a half days of seminars, workshops
and networking opportunities. Participants at the conference will engage in brainstorming sessions, learn how to create an integrated marketing campaign, and get tools and expertise on how to remodel businesses for success. -- Full story: http://tinyurl.com/BI-032712

* A heart-warming contribution regarding junior sailing was sent to Scuttlebutt from J/29 sailor Casey Schnoor-- "To echo Marc Jocobi's comments on juniors and beer can racing (#3552), our J-29 crew aboard "ONO" consistently sailed the San Diego Beers Can's last year with 3-5 "under 10 yr olds" (only one was mine), my wife (Mom), and 2-3 Dad's, new to sailing or who had been away for many years. We had a great time with the kids involved in tactics and maneuvers and they were just as excited when we got the class gun as when we couldn't hear the class gun.

Making it a class requirement might be a good idea but I suggest you DON'T WAIT; it is too much fun and extremely rewarding to share those Wednesday nights with kids and new sailors! Ono is very much looking forward to the 2012 season with the same great multi aged crew!" Sailing Photos on Scuttlebutt Facebook page.The J Cruising Community J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever-http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

Featured Boats

Famous J/133 CHESTRESS-2 For SaleMediterranean Winner in Italy & France

CHESTRESS-2 is a 2005 J/133 with only one owner that has sailed her with passion and with extraordinary success in the Mediterranean. She has been professionally, impeccably maintained by her captain for six loving years. And, it shows. CHESTRESS-2 is in mint condition, with no defects or damage, she is ready for cruising, club racing or serious offshore campaigning anywhere in the world-- Phuket, Auckland, Sydney, Newport, Cowes, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Stockholm, Sardinia, Cabo, Cape Town, Punta or Ilhabela.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

J/70 Speedster Goes Sailing!
(Newport, RI)- The weather Gods have continued to provide incredible sailing conditions for the sea-trials of the new J/70 Speedster in Rhode Island. After launching J/70 #1 last Monday, March 12th, it was time to launch J/70 #2 this past Tuesday, March 20th. Both boats gently slid off their trailers into the ocean waters off the Bristol boat ramp and shortly after were sailing on upper Narragansett Bay in a building southwesterly. By day’s end both boats were flying across the Bay at 12-15 kts with Team North and Team Quantum scoping out the new speedster. Overnight, some sail tweaks were done, and the boats were back out yesterday in similar 12-18 knot conditions. Sailing trials continue over the next several days as more sailmakers arrive. The plan is to lock in the class sail sizes by the end of next week. Take a peek at some more sailing shots on the website! For more J/70 Speedster sailing informationJ/108 In Oslo Boatshow
(Oslo, Norway)- The latest edition to the J Shoal Performance fleet, the J/108, will be on display at this year's Oslo Sailboat Show from the 26th to 29th of April. The J/108 continues to amaze its owners with its remarkable performance both upwind, downwind as well as reaching. Like its sistership the J/95, the J/108 sails with remarkably good VMG performance upwind in most any wind and wave conditions, a unique capability amongst shoal-draft keel/centerboard sailboats.

To learn more about the J/108 at the Oslo show, please be sure to contact Peter Johansson at Marstrand Yachts- ph# 0046 (0)735 430 800, skype- peter.r.johansson, email- peter.johansson@marstrandyachts.com, or visit his website at www.marstrandyachts.com. For more Oslo Sailboat Show informationRolex Cup Regatta Preview
(St Thomas, US Virgin Islands)- This coming weekend, the “Crown Jewel” of Caribbean racing takes place--the Rolex Cup Regatta- where sailors can experience reliable breezes, warm azure waters and world-renowned Island hospitality off the eastern end of St Thomas. The competition and the camaraderie are unsurpassed; attracting sailing teams from around the world, and from this perspective its 2012 edition will prove to be the most diverse ever, with entries from the USA, Russia, Sweden, The Netherlands, Monaco and beyond. The three-day event, scheduled for March 23-25, is hosted by St. Thomas Yacht Club, which for 39 years has devoted itself to producing this regatta’s famed offerings: three days of high-quality racing and serious fun in an inspiringly scenic island atmosphere.

The racing starts on Friday-- beginning with the picturesque and traditional distance races from the east end of St. Thomas to Charlotte Amalie Harbour and back. The tactically demanding Pillsbury Sound Race in and among the cays of St. Thomas and St. John is Sunday’s highlight. This “Sunday drive” has decided final standing in most classes in each of the last five years. The culmination of the International Rolex Regatta’s lively competition is a presentation on Sunday of coveted Rolex timepieces to winners in select classes. A total of 66 boats are sailing including the 7 J's below, 16 of the IC-24s (modified J/24s)-- nearly 33% of the fleet!

CSA 1 Class has the J/122 LAZY DOG sailed by Sergio Sagramoso from San Juan, Puerto Rico, missing will be the J/122 LOST HORIZON and the J/120 EL OCASO.

CSA 2 Class has four J's sailing, including the J/105 DARK STAR sailed by Jonathan Lipuscek from San Juan, Puerto Rico; the J/27 MAGNIFICENT 7 sailed by Paul Davis from St Thomas, USVI; the J/30 COMFORTABLY NUMB sailed by Marston Winkles from St Thomas, USVI; and the J/80 OTRA KOSA sailed by Kike Gonzalez from San Juan, Puerto Rico.

CSA 4 Non-Spinnaker is always a tough class to win simply because there are some good family teams racing. This year, again, sees the return of the Sanpere family racing their multiple Rolex Winner, the J/36 CAYENITTA GRANDE skippered by Antonio Sanpere from Christiansted, St Croix, USVI. Challenging them will be the J/95 SHAMROCK VII sailed by Tom Mullen from Campton, New Hampshire, who recently just finished sailing their best Caribbean regatta yet in the St Maarten Heineken Regatta.

The Sun Never Sets on J's Sailing Worldwide

Spring-time keeps on rolling and with it marks the start of one of the most famous spring sailing series, the Warsash Spring Series hosted by the Warsash Sailing Club on the Hamble River-- where dozens of J/80s, J/109s and a competitive fleet of IRC-raced J's like the J/111, J/122, J/133, J/92s and J/97s all vie for honors over several weeks of sailing. Also continuing its course of events are the Sailing World NOOD Regattas, this last one being hosted by the San Diego YC and again sponsored by Sperry Topsider for fleets of one-design J/80s, J/105s, J/109s and J/120s. The J/22 sailors were busy in various forms, including the completion of the California Dreamin Match Race series held in J/22s and the J/22 Cayman Islands International Invitational held in that lovely little oasis in the middle of the Caribbean. Finally, the Australian Yachting leadership completed a fairly extensive "Future of Sailing Survey" which has some lessons learned and opportunities outlined that might help grow the recreation and sport of sailing.

Read on! The J/Community and Cruising section below continue to enjoy the Caribbean and the South Pacific, staying warm while others are trying to stay warm up north. Check them out! More importantly, if you have more J/Regatta News, please email it orupload onto our J/Boats Facebook page! Below are the summaries.

For additional J/Regatta and Event dates in your region, please refer to the on-line J/Sailing Calendar.STEAMY Start To Warsash Spring Opener
(Hamble, So'ton, England)- The 29th edition of the Warsash Spring Series got underway on 18th March 2012 and on a day when the wind went from zero then up to 16 knots in the short sharp squalls, both competitors and race officers needed to think quickly.

Forecasts varied but in the main indicated a high pressure area over the south of England bringing light and uncertain winds to the Solent, initially north-west then veering north. Many competitors found ice on the decks but sunshine developed by 0900. The breeze dallied under 5 knots, but this still enabled some crews to put in their first pre-race practice of the season. As the start sequence approached, the wind direction had certainly not settled and a postponement was announced for both Black and White Groups whilst race officers designed and redesigned a multitude of courses accordingly.

The Black Group committee boat had set-up station near East Bramble and at 1050 IRC1 were sent on a course with Prince Consort buoy off Cowes as the turning mark. The fleet was evenly spread along the line. Even with the westerly tide pushing the boats towards the start line, IRC2 also got away cleanly under the “I” flag but now the fleet had decided that the committee boat end was the favorite. Before the J/109 class could start, the wind had swung even further west and the “AP” flag was displayed again. The effect on the first two classes racing was to turn the first beat into a long starboard tack with a port hand hitch to lay the mark.

Meanwhile, it was back to the chart table for the race officers on Condor to design another new set of courses for the remaining four Black Group classes. This time West Knoll was the windward mark giving navigators the test of judging tidal heights as they skirted the Bramble Bank. Only one failed and spent an extended break aground until the tide rose again in the afternoon. To save time, IRC3 had a combined start making for a busy line. As these boats headed west, angry grey clouds were forming over the Bramble Bank and these brought lively gusts leaving crews to wonder whether to peel headsails that had initially been set for 5 knots of breeze. No sooner had it arrived, than the wind lessened and turned the run to Universal buoy into a fetch. On completion of the second beat, the wind vanished leaving boats becalmed and pointing in every direction, some with white sails, others with spinnakers. The decision was taken to shorten after the fourth leg and many were grateful for the now east-going tide to reach the finish. For IRC1 and IRC2 the course had been amended to omit the penultimate mark and turn the last leg into a beat.

The biggest win of the day was Paul Griffiths on the J/109 JAGERBOMB, a triumph of tactics which took him to first place by 25 minutes ahead of the nearest rival in the J/109s. The J/109 class has a very strong showing overall despite the JAGERBOMB's triumphant first outing. In second was Mike & Sarah Wallis on JAHMALI and third was Roger Phillips on DESIGNSTAR 2.

The closest finish was in the new J/Sprit class where John Cooper and Ian Townend’s J/92 JAMMIN took line honours by a couple of boat lengths but were denied a class win by the lower-handicapped sistership J'RONIMO (John Taylor and David Greenhalgh). Third was yet another J/92s, Andyy Howe's J/92s BLACKJACK.

White Group this year includes classes for J/80s. For this first week, it was the J/80 crews who proved the hardier and turned out in numbers. With a racing area closer in shore, CRO Peter Knight was hoping to catch the breeze coming down Southampton Water but he also had to stall the start procedure. When the first races were underway, a significant wind shift to the right halfway up the first beat turned the course into a full and bye leg with a broad reach return to the bottom mark. Nick Haigh, with Geoff Carveth helming, sneaked the win in SLIGHTLY STEAM, the latest in the “Steamy” brand, ahead of Ian Atkins in Boats.com. Third was Terry Palmer on JUST DO IT.

The course was re-laid to account for the new wind and a brief rain shower raised the wind to over 10 knots by the start of the second race. The squall lasted for the first beat but as the sun came out the wind faded to nothing and by the time the boats had reached the leeward mark and tried to start the next beat it was a losing battle. The race officers made the sensible decision to abandon and send everyone home to enjoy "Mothering Sunday".

The Black Group IRC 1 Class only had five finishers due to the crazy conditions, the somewhat distorted race course with Ivan Trotman's J/122 JOLOU surviving the chaos to grab a fifth overall. For more Warsash Spring Series sailing results.Locals Dominate J/22 Caymans Invitational
(Cayman Islands)- The Cayman Islands Sailing Club hosted yet another fun-loving, highly competitive event on the Great North Sound in the Cayman Islands for their 2012 International Invitational. Teams from all over the world attended including ten representatives from Germany (Peter Karrie), South Africa (Len John Van der Wel), Bahamas (Craig Symonette and Dave Valentina), USA (Marc Fisher and Bill Wiggins), United Kingdom (Olie Dix), Jamaica (Peter Harper) and Norway (Are Huser).

The sailing conditions were simply epic- postcard perfect weather as advertised with 10-20 knot trade winds blowing all day long all the time with sunny robin's-egg blue skies, puffy white clouds scudding across the horizon and aquamarine blue waters dotted by white breaking waves when the wind was up. Perfect sailing conditions that challenged the sailors to get off the starting line in clear air, maintain position, get around the marks cleanly with good boat-handling and stay in the battle. With racing taking place over three days, each day starting at 12 noon, the regatta was exceptionally well managed under the guidance of race officers Peta Adams and Andrew Moon along with visiting international judges Gilmour Manuel and Harry Keith.

In the end, top local sailor Mike Farrington sailing JUST LEAVING from Cayman Islands Sailing Club triumphed and was crowned the 2012 Invite Champion with finishes of five 1sts, two 2nds and two 3rds, tossing a 3rd to win with just 12 points! Not too far off the pace was top local woman sailor, Jane Moon, sailing CIAO! to two 1sts, six 2nds and a 4th (tossing the 4th) to finish with a remarkable 14 pts, not enough to overcome Mike's fast, smart crew. Lying third was Marc Fischer from the USA sailing the great yacht WRECKLESS to a strong 4-1-6-3-3-7-4-3 for 31 points. Rounding out the top five were another local boat, Simon Farrington on SUNSHINE finishing 4th with 41 pts and Craig Symonette sailing CALIMA 5 from Nassau, Bahamas just getting nipped out for 4th with his record of 8-4-3-27-8-6-4 for 42 pts. For sailing photo credits For more Cayman Islands Sailing Club Invitational sailing resultsJ/Navy Jams San Diego!Awesome Conditions, Awesome J Sailing
(San Diego, CA)- This year's Sperry Topsider San Diego NOOD event was a tale of two fleets- those who sailed and the "also-rans" (those who didn't). As one might expect, given the beautiful conditions on Saturday and the epic, windy, wavy, wet conditions on Sunday, only the entire fleet of J's sailing in San Diego completed the entire series as both a brand and as complete one-design fleets-- others simply didn't sail or had many who simply dropped out. Twenty five knots on Sunday?! Most J sailors look upon such conditions with glee, and did so whole-heartedly!

Of the forty-one J's sailing in this year's NOOD Regatta (about 33% of the fleet) it would be hard to tell which fleet loved the conditions the most-- the J/105s, J/120s, J/80s or J/109s.

Of all the fleets, perhaps the most predictable outcome was the performance of Kurt Johnson from California YC on his J/80 AVET. Sailing to a record of four 1st, a 2nd and two 3rds, he won their seven race series by 8 pts. Second was Balboa YC's Dan Gribble sailing MONKEY SHOULDER to a 4-4-4-1-2-2-3 to come on strong towards the end of the regatta to secure their position with 20 pts. In a tie-breaker for third place were John Steen on UNDERDOG and Steve Wyman on NUHUNU. In the end, John's 2-2-5-7-54-4-1 for 25 pts beat out Steve's 5-3-2-7-1-3-4 for 25 pts.

Not far off the predictability index was Tom Brott's J/109 ELEKTRA, perhaps one of the best-sailed J/109s on the Pacific Coast. With straight bullets over four races, they dominated their competition for just a grand total of 4 pts. Lying second was Rex Butler's JD with straight 2nds for 8 pts. Third was Daylen Teren's GREAT BALLS OF FIRE with straight 3rds!

Next up, the J/120 class. Like their J/105 brethren, this is perhaps one of the least predictable groups as the combination of crews and skippers, time of day, horoscopes, biorhythms, Mayan calendars and the sort seem to have an enormous influence on the various team's performances. Nevertheless, some of the top teams maintained form, stayed in the hunt and managed to keep things quite interesting for the top SIX teams. OK. Cool stuff. That's REAL one-design racing. Four boats, four firsts. Staying out of trouble pays off in this fleet. Hitting corners does not. Starting out strong were John Snook on JIM with a 2-1 and Mike Hatch's J-ALMIGHTY with a 1-2; just off the pace was Peter Zarcades on MELTEMI with a 3-3. After two races, this top three might be the regatta leaders going forward? NOT. As a group, they had to fight to stay in contention with only John Snook's JIM hanging on for dear life to close out with a 2 pt win to be J/120 class champion for the regatta. Second place was late closer, past champion Chuck Nichols on CC RIDER, a familiar name at the top of the leader board just two points back with a 4-6-2-1 for 13 pts. Behind him was the bloodbath of a sailing version of the "Shootout at the OK Corral". Tied for 3rd were Gary Winton's SHENANIGANS and Peter's MELTEMI with records of 5-4-3-2 and 3-3-4-4, respectively, for 14 pts. Gary's SHENANIGANS winning the tie-break. Fifth was Mike's J-ALMIGHTY, an early regatta leader closing out with a 1-2-6-6 for 15 pts.

The J/105s were tough as nails as one might expect amongst this competitive fleet. After all, if past NOOD Champions and Pacific Coast Champions like Dennis & Sharon Case's WINGS, John Demourkas' ROCKIN & GROOVIN and Rick Goebel's SANITY aren't amongst the top of the leader board, you know the fleet is tough. In the end, it was a "northerner" from Long Beach YC, Gary Mozer's crew on CURRENT OBSESSION 2 that dominated the last day with a 1-1 to add to their 5-3 Saturday scoreline to win by just one point to become the J/105 NOOD Champions. Second was a strong performance by Bennet Greenwald's PERSEVERANCE to capture a 2-2-5-2 tally for 11 pts. Third was Rick's SANITY team with a 3-5-2-3 score for 13 pts. Fourth was John's ROCKIN & GROOVIN team with a 7-1-3-5 score for 16 pts. And, fifth was local champs Dennis and Sharon Case on WINGS with a 1-4-10-4 record for 19 pts. Sailing photo credits- Mark Brughe For more Sperry Topsider San Diego NOOD Regatta sailing informationBreault Wins California Dreamin Series
(Long Beach, CA) - The final stop of the three event California Dreamin' Series met with too much wind for the Butler Cup, an ISAF Grade 3 match race hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club. With a severe storm watch in effect and high winds, no races were able to be run. Nicole Breault of St. Francis Yacht Club was declared the winner of the series based on accumulated points. The first place earned an invitation to next week's Grade 2 Ficker Cup, March 22-24, a gateway event to the Grade 1 Congressional Cup, March 25-31.

In sailboat racing good breeze is a good thing. But too much is not so good. Such was the case this Sunday in the California Dreamin Series Butler Cup, an ISAF Grade 3 match race hosted by Long Beach Yacht Club.

Nicole gratefully accepted the invitation to sail in the Ficker Cup. Coming from the San Francisco area, Breault is quite experienced in racing in strong breeze.

"This definitely was a brisk day," Breault said, "and would have shown who had the best seamanship skills. But I think it was a good decision [not to race] for these boats."

Saturday's racing was literally blown out with sustained winds around 20 knots, keeping the fleet in their slips throughout the day. Sunday dawned with strong winds but Principal Race Officer Pete Ives wanted the race committee to give it their best shot at getting some races off and had everyone head out to the race course. Unfortunately, the wind was much stronger Sunday than the day before.

"It's a shame that we couldn't do this today," Ives said. "But I was seeing 22 to 25 knots out there and gusts over 30." If you're a sailor, you may ask, "I've raced in worse conditions, what's the big deal?"

The 37 foot sloops used in the Butler Cup, Ficker Cup and the Congressional Cup are old, not terribly robust and were designed for the normal Long Beach weather conditions; moderate chop and breeze of 8-15 knots and get to be quite a handful at 20 knots without the ability to reef the mainsail-- in other words, it's "classic IOR hull shape" is prone to wild broaches and "round-downs" IOR sailors are all too familiar with from the past-- in short, they become dangerous even to the sailors.

Commenting on the upcoming Ficker Cup, Breault said, "I think my expectations for how well I will do came up a bit this weekend. What time we had on the boats was valuable [Friday's practice and Sunday's attempted racing]. Also, I will have Bill Durant [LBYC] calling tactics for me which will be a tremendous advantage for us. We know any one skipper can win in a match race."

Breault has been the tactician on the bigger boats quite a few times for Butler Cup and Ficker Cup regattas but doesn’t have much time behind the wheel. “Right now, moving from the J/22 into the 37 is a bit intimidating for me,” said Breault. “I have a great group of sailors on my team and I suspect we will learn quickly. As a skipper I get a lot of confidence from boat handling and speed control. Until I get a sense for what that will feel like on the larger boats, I see the transition as a major challenge.”

The first two weekends of the series took place at San Diego Yacht Club, Feb. 11-12, and St. Francis Yacht Club, March 3-4. In addition to Breault, skippers competing in the series were; Dan Aeling, SDYC; Eric Doyle, NHYC; Nick Dugdale , St. FYC; Bill Durant, LBYC; Dusting Durant, LBYC; Steve Lowery, CMRC; Tyler Sinks, SDYC, Bruce Stone, St. FYC and David Storrs, Pequot YC. The Future of Sailing Survey?What J Sailors Can Do to Help!
(Sydney, Australia)- Yachting Australia released the findings of a research report regarding the perceptions of sailing in Australia. Developed over six months by leading sports and entertainment consultancy firm gemba, the report will shape future Yachting Australia and yacht club programs to increase membership and participation.

In releasing the report Yachting Australia CEO Phil Jones said that the information will be used to shape a number of future programs and initiatives. In working with industry partners, he said "we jointly identified the lack of solid data and evidence into the levels of participation in sailing, and what the drivers and barriers were to increasing it," Jones said. "Whilst there are plenty of opinions in the sailing community, we really needed solid and objective information about
what club members and the Australian public think of our sport."

The top six insights in the Report Summary are:
- Australians generally have a low rate of both participation in, and passion for, sailing (we rank 34th and 37th respectively amongst all sports)
- Sailing is perceived as an 'exclusive' sport while not being seen as very 'accessible'. Yacht Clubs are generally not welcoming, and are for older people only
- On average, the starting age of sailing is much higher than other sports with established junior programs
- Primary and Secondary school age children, and young families have the highest interest in participating in sailing in the future
- Relaxation is consistently the most important reason for participation in sailing among both current sailors and those interested in sailing. New participants are interested in a social, relaxed activity rather than competition, the later tending to be more important to current club members.
- The main barrier for future participation is the perceived cost of sailing. Boat ownership, maintenance, storage costs, and annual membership payment, are expensive, especially for a family.

From the J/Boats perspective, we agree. And, having participated in multiple such studies over the course of time with industry partners like SAIL America, SAILING WORLD, SAIL magazine and others, the results all have similar outcomes--- in short, highlighting a need to make the sport and recreation of sailing more accessible to all. In fact, it's a primary reason why "accessibility" was a specific requirement for the design of the new J/70 Speedster-- it had to be accessible physically (children, women and men alike) as well as logistically (ramp launch, trailerable and easy to rig). It's also why J/70 is affordable and designed to address the needs of yacht club, sailing club and public sailing programs in terms of affordability and, most importantly, durability. Plus, ensuring J/70 had the trademark all-around performance in an exciting new package means it should attract both old and new sailors alike to the brand over the course of time. To learn more about the J/70 speedster - the ultimate trailerable sailing machine. To learn more about the social and demographic drivers in sailing.J/Community

What friends, alumni and crew of J/Boats are doing worldwide

* A J/24 Mastman Confessional- When a longtime J/24 bowman gets put into mastman duty with a pro team, he gains new insight—and respect—for his neighbor on the rail. Read more about SAILIG WORLD's Editor, Dave Reed, experience sailing in the recent J/24 Copa Mexico in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.

"I’ve been racing on the same J/24 in Newport, RI, with the same fantastic skipper and core team for nearly 30 years. By nature of me being the whippersnapper teen when I joined the team way back when, I guess I’ve always been relegated to the bow. It’s my domain, a position I’ll relinquish only when they take the spinnaker pole from my cold, dead hands.

The funny thing about my career in the J/24 class, however, is that as long as I can remember, I’ve never actually sailed on anyone else’s J/24 for a full regatta.

It’s always been the same boat, same job. Forever.

You’d think, after all these years, I’d have a pretty good handle on what was going on behind me on our boat, one rail seat aft at the mastman’s position, but not really. I guess I’ve always been too busy looking forward, focusing on my own responsibilities on the foredeck. On our boat, this second-spot back is where we usually put newcomers and visitors. You know…where they can “contribute” by adjusting the twings while not really getting in the way.

After my experience last week at the Regata Copa Mexico, a must-do J/24 regatta in Riviera Nayarit, Mexico (just north of Puerto Vallarta), however, I’ve reconsidered the mastman cog in the J/24 crewing machine.

The thrown-together crew of which I was part of for this incredible regatta included Chris Snow, of North Sails San Diego, who, as a past national champion, was obviously most qualified to drive. Our talented trimmer was Rich Bowen, designer for North Sails. The tactical genius (and “funny stuff”) would come from the mind of Chuck Allen, who completed the North Sails back-of-the-bus brain trust. That left the front-half of the boat to me, and George Witter, pitman for the 2010 J/24 national champions 3 Big Dogs.

When I learned I’d been slotted into the mastman position, with George on the bow, I was sort of bummed and anxious.

“I’d be better off on the bow,” I thought to myself. “That’s what I know best . . . Maybe I should propose George and I switch.”

But the team roles had been professionally predetermined, so as we sailed out for our first day of practice, I started to mentally go through the mastman’s job list for every maneuver.

This is when I realized I wasn’t exactly sure what the mastman does on other J/24s other than pull the twings and move from side-to-side. On our boat back home, the jobs in the middle of the boat are, for the most part, divided as such: our genoa trimmer trims upwind, then moves to the middle of the boat downwind. The mastman, who helps call puffs upwind, slides to the cockpit to trim the spinnaker. Our tactician handles the twings during the jibes works the pit, and the bowman, of course, handles everything forward of the mast, including halyards. This is, generally, how we’ve always done things.

But after an educational week in the mastman’s seat—a position, I grew to love—I’m convinced we need to change the way we do things back home. And, strangely enough, it all boils down to empowering our mastman. Here’s how things were divided on Bogus:

The trimmer trimmed the jib and the spinnaker. He never stepped forward of the companionway, which eliminated any position shuffles.

The tactician focused on tactics, fleet management, boat balance (weight fore and aft, side to side), parked in the companionway downwind, rolled the boat from the inside, and stuffed the kite in the takedown.

As the mastman, I looked up the course in the pre-start, looking for wind and surprises, called out time aloud in the pre-start, counting every second after 30 seconds. Upwind and down, I called puffs, lulls, and waves and aggressively rolled the boat in tacks and jibes, hiking off the twing line on the jibe roll. I served as human guy and then gathered the foot of the spinnaker before hitting the rail. And when the manure was hitting the fan on the foredeck, I was on halyard backup. I reset sail controls (outhaul and vang) before and after the mark roundings, and moved my weight all over the place to help balance the boat. Now that’s a lot more than just pulling the twings and staying out of the way." For more SAILING WORLD Mastman sailing experience perspectives.The J Cruising Community J Cruisers continue their adventures around the world, below are a selection of most excellent "blogs" written by their prolific publishers. Some terribly amusing anecdotes and pearls of wisdom are contained in their blogs. Read some! You'll love it.

* The J/42 JARANA continues their epic voyage around the Pacific. Continue to read about Bill and Kathy Cuffel's big adventure cruising the South Pacific headed for New Zealand. Their blog is here: http://www.svjarana.blogspot.com/

* Prolific writers, Bill and Judy Stellin, sailed their J/42 JAYWALKER around the Mediterranean and Europe and back across the Atlantic for nearly three years. Their blogs/journals can be found at- http://blog.mailasail.com/jaywalker. The earlier journals have been compiled into two self published books which can be found at: http://www.blurb.com. Search for "SEATREK: A Passion for Sailing" by Bill Stellin or William Stellin." UPDATE- Just a short note to update from Bill- "Our cruise began in May of 2000 and ended in May of 2008, some 8 years later. I have just finished and published my third and final book covering the last three or so years including our double handed crossing in 16 days and one winter in the Caribbean. Like the others, "Sea Trek- A Passion for sailing- Book III," can be found at www.blurb.com. Thanks, Bill and Judy"

* John and Mary Driver are sailing their J/130 SHAZAM for extended cruising in the Atlantic basin. At this time, John and Mary finished their double-handed crossing of the Atlantic, landing in Portugal on their J/130 Shazam after completion of their ARC Rally. Read the latest news at http://www.sailblogs.com/member/shazam/.

* Several J/160 owners are island hopping across the world's oceans, fulfilling life long dreams to cruise the Pacific islands, the Caribbean islands, the Indian Ocean and all points in between. Anyone for Cape Horn and penguins?? Read more about their adventures and escapades (like our J/109 GAIA, J/42s PAX and JAYWALKER and J/130 SHAZAM friends above).

- SALACIA, the J/160 owned by Stephen and Cyndy Everett has an on-going blog describing some of their more amusing experiences (http://www.salacia1.blogspot.com).

- Bill and Susan Grun on the J/160 AVANTE are also sailing in the Pacific archipelago, read more about their great adventures on their blog (http://web.me.com/susangrun). Read about their latest adventures as they've gotten to New Zealand- "Avante Cruises the Pacific".

- Eric and Jenn on the J/160 MANDALAY also sailed the Pacific archipelago, read more on their blog at http://www.sailmandalay.com. Eric and Jenn are J/World alumni took MANDALAY up and down the West Coast (Mexico, CA), then to the South Pacific and New Zealand. MANDALAY is back in San Francisco now, and in the J/World fleet--she is available for skippered charters, private instruction, and corporate/executive groups.

* The J/109 GAIA (seen right in the Java Sea) was sailed by Bob Riggle and Phyllis Macay around the world. In February 2011, their cruising adventures came to an abrupt, sad ending. As a tribute to them and their cruising friends worldwide, we hope their chronicles on their GAIA website remains a tribute to their warm-hearted spirits- read more about why many loved them dearly and will remain touched by their loving spirit forever-http://www.gaiaworldtour.net/

Featured Boats

Famous J/133 CHESTRESS-2 For SaleMediterranean Winner in Italy & France

CHESTRESS-2 is a 2005 J/133 with only one owner that has sailed her with passion and with extraordinary success in the Mediterranean. She has been professionally, impeccably maintained by her captain for six loving years. And, it shows. CHESTRESS-2 is in mint condition, with no defects or damage, she is ready for cruising, club racing or serious offshore campaigning anywhere in the world-- Phuket, Auckland, Sydney, Newport, Cowes, Hong Kong, Tokyo, Stockholm, Sardinia, Cabo, Cape Town, Punta or Ilhabela.